US group considers free legal clinic for Jamaica

Jerome Reynolds, Gleaner Writer

A United States-based social justice advocacy group is considering establishing a legal clinic in Jamaica, to offer free or discounted legal advice and representation to disenfranchised and vulnerable people.

Fred Rooney, the Director of the Community Legal Resource Network at the City University of New York Law School, said the clinic will operate as an incubator for recent law school graduates and final year students.

He said it will provide them with training and business insight on how to set up their practice.

Rooney further said the incubator will target young lawyers, who want get involved in advocacy and human rights work.

He said over the years, he has partnered with local rights groups and non-government organisations which have reported that marginalised and vulnerable groups are denied access to justice because of issues such as poverty and social discrimination.

Rooney said it is for that reason he wants to introduce a social justice incubator programme in Jamaica.

He said the first incubator in the region is to be set up in the Dominican Republic early next year then the attention will be turned to Jamaica.

The incubator programme which was started six years ago has worked across the US and is now being expanded to Latin America and the Caribbean.

Like our new Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/gleanerjamaica

Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/JamaicaGleaner

radio@gleanerjm.com